BOSTON, July 19, 2017—The three men who allegedly participated in the homicide of 58-year-old Andres Cruz in his Mission Hill hardware store were ordered held without bail today, with one of them still laying in a hospital bed at Boston Medical Center with injuries sustained during the fatal encounter yesterday afternoon, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

JEROME HOBSON (D.O.B. 11/20/78) of Dorchester, CHRISTIAN SOTO-OLIVERO (D.O.B. 3/12/96) of Mattapan, and SHAWN REDDEN (D.O.B. 1/14/91) of Brockton were arraigned today on one count each of murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition in connection with Cruz’ shooting death inside AC Hardware, the shop he owned at 1562 Tremont St.

Hobson and Redden were both arraigned at the West Roxbury courthouse. Soto-Olivera was arraigned separately at Boston Medical Center, where he is being treated for serious laceration injuries apparently sustained during yesterday’s incident. At the request of Assistant District Attorney John Verner of the DA’s Homicide Unit, all three were ordered held without bail pending trial.

Verner told the court that a witness familiar with the neighborhood observed the front door of Cruz’ shop closed in the middle of the afternoon yesterday, which she found unusual, and then observed three men leaving the area and heading “cautiously” toward St. Alphonsus St. This witness told a family member to check on things at the store.

This second witness entered the store and found Cruz on the floor, badly injured. Running out of the store, he encountered a Boston Transportation Department worker, told her what happened, and asked if she had seen three men leaving the area. She had – and in fact had just had a brief parking-related interaction with three men, one of whom made a statement about leaving the area, Verner said. The BTD employee notified Boston Police, as did a fourth witness who observed three men fleeing the area, one of whom appeared to be bleeding badly.

“These witnesses provided Boston Police with information that proved to be critical in locating the suspects’ vehicle,” Conley said. “There’s no question that their tips helped solve a homicide and will help a grief-stricken family find justice.”

A short time later, Boston Police officers armed with descriptions of the men and their van spotted the suspect vehicle and pulled it over. Hobson and Redden jumped out and attempted to flee, with Redden allegedly discarding a pile of bills and a receipt from the hardware store; they and Soto-Olivero were all taken into custody. The injuries that Soto-Olivero and Redden sustained inside AC Hardware were consistent with a blood trail that Verner described running from the shop to the spot in which their van had been seen by the BTD employee on St. Alphonsus St.

Hobson, Soto-Olivero, and Redden were represented by attorneys Robert Griffin, John Galvin, and Michael Bourbeau, respectively. All three are expected back in court on Sept. 13.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.